The prior art discloses a number of different tabbing systems for use with books, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, telephone directories and the like, see for example, Leadbetter U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,827, Horn U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,777, Ericson U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,152, and Remmey III U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,816. Such systems generally include a plurality of peel-off type index tabs arrayed on a paper backing sheet usually in one or more rows and/or columns. The tabs or labels are imprinted with suitable indicia such as the letters of the alphabet or a series of numbers, for example, whereby the separate divisions, chapters, or other distinctive sections of the book may be suitably marked or indexed by applying a corresponding one of the tabs or labels to the outer edge of the particular page of the book located at the beginning of such division, chapter or section of the book. Thus, for example, in the case of a dictionary, a label or tab bearing the letter "A" could be applied to the outer edge of the initial page of the dictionary containing the words beginning with the letter "A". Similarily, the labels bearing the indicia "B", "C", "D" and so forth would be applied to the corresponding pages of the dictionary containing the start of words beginning with the letters B,C, and D, etc., respectively, with each successive letter placed on the page of the dictionary or other book or publication just under the label or tab preceding it in the dictionary or other book or publication. Index tabs or labels of this general description can greatly improve the usefulness of the book with which they are used by permitting a user of the book to rapidly access a desired page, chapter or subject of the book, depending upon the classification employed in initially applying the tabs or labels to the book.
Despite the obvious utility of these general types of tabbing or indexing systems, present designs have not enjoyed widespread usage for one or more of a number of reasons. More specifically, with some of these existing constructions, the labels or tabs are formed of relatively thin paper or other material and it is often difficult to separate the tabs or labels from the thicker paper backing or stock to which they are adhesively attached without tearing or otherwise damaging the tabs or the labe bearing sheet proper. At best, the removal of individual tabs is a cumbersome and tedious process.
In the typical application, the tabs when mounted to the book pages extend from the page to present a gripping surface to the book user. In opening the book to access a particular chapter or desired section of the book, the tab extension is normally gripped or held by the user rather than the book page itself and the tab may be rather severely stressed in this process as well as the page to which the tab is attached. In the normal design, the tabs are not particularly suited to withstand repeated usage without incurring permanent bending or even tearing. The book pages themselves may tend to tear at the points of attachment to the tabs under repeated or rough handling due to this use of the tabs as the gripping means. The susceptibility of the tabs to bend and/or to tear under repeated usage and the problem of the tearing of book pages to which the tabs are attached detracts considerably from the utility of presently known tabbing systems.
Another drawback of present designs of tabbing systems is the lack of a ready means for mounting the tabs or labels to the book pages uniformly and accurately with respect to the edges of the pages.
The present invention addresses the above mentioned shortcomings of conventional tabbing or indexing systems and provides an indexing or tabbing system of overall improved construction and enhanced utility for use particularly with telephone directories, dictionaries and the like.